Service for Al Walter, Sat Jul 1 at 6PM in San Diego

suntinez

suntinez

Adventurist
Founding Member
(I have no idea where to post this, so mods feel free to move if needed.)

Al Walter has passed away after his battle with cancer. Services will be next Sat, Jul 1 at 6PM in San Diego. Details as I get them, if you’re interested in attending let me know.

I met Al in Toroweap about 10 years ago. We spent these last few years camping around with friends and patrolling with the SBNF OHV volunteers. I’m grateful to the OHV program for giving me a chance to spend that time with him.

Al was truly one-of-a-kind, much respected and admired. He was an intrepid traveler and had many different groups of people that he traveled with. He’s best known in the expedition crowd for his knowledge of the Anza Borrego desert where he volunteered for many years, his in-depth knowledge of Death Valley, his well-flagged tequila bar, offroad recovery skills and willingness help anyone, cool headedness in some bad situations when others had lost their cool (you know there's some stories there
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), he knew pretty much every backroad in Baja and the Arizona Strip, his Bambi trailer … I could go on and on ... known as Al-manac among some, his signature line in the forums is “Always ready to go.”

Tough cookie, one of the best, and I loved when that smile kicked in and we got to see goofy Al. What a character! My life is richer for having known him.

Al traveled the world and brought the smiles with him, and leaves as many in his wake. I’m gonna miss him.
 
I am sorry to hear of his passing, I know the two of you were close.
 
I'm deeply saddened by this news!

I met Al in 2006 when he led a group of us (some of whom are members here like @Gear and @blupaddler and Wil from Sierra Expeditions) on a trip down to Puntas Cabras and Laguna Hansen in Baja.

Meeting and later getting to know Al (Almanac!) was pivotal in my life. That trip to Baja and later trips with Al really sealed the whole "backcountry 4WD travel" aka overland thing for me and my family. Al was so knowledgeable and passionate about geography and history that any trip with him was like a guided tour over the 2M radio as Al would regale the convoy with stories and lost or forgotten details and mysteries over many miles. Getting to camp was a highlight as Al always had his little tequila bar stocked with the finest spirits (most of what I know about tequila and it's manufacture I learned from Al).

Al always had a smile and his moniker of "Always ready to go" was no joke - if you were on a trip with Al you'd better be paying attention as he had a heavy foot and was covering ground whether you were ready or not. I remember the time we were at a red light in Ensenada and Nori jumped out to grab some street tacos and tamales real quick because we had been driving so long without breaks - Al was long gone and we had to really pin it through Mexican traffic to catch back up with the group. Good times.

Al was of the old school and very influential in the early days of the "overland scene", sites like 4WDTrips and Expedition Portal were peppered with his wit and wisdom, and what I call "second wave" guys like me and Scott Brady and Chris Marzonie (Baja Taco) were trying to be as cool as Al back in the day. I remember sitting with a small group gathered at Al's campsite at Overland Expo the last year it was in Amado. Speaking in hushed tones sipping small glasses of tequila and Al telling me that we needed this (a group event) in California. That mentorship and subsequent campfires with some of the elders here became the Rendezvous events and eventually, American Adventurist.

Honored to have known Al and been able to learn from him. He was truly a stand up guy and one of the best I've ever known. He will be missed for sure.

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Thanks Dave...

That trip to Baja is definitely one for the memory books. I need to find that trip report somewhere...


For all the newbie's to the "Overland scene" that never knew Al, you summed it up.
Al is essentially the GODFATHER, and the best thing was he didn't have sponsors, bling or any of that other crap thats around now. He traveled simply, and knew so much.

I'm still devastated by this loss, my love for Baja and its roads is partly because of Al.
 
I first met Al about 15 years ago...back when a small group of us from southern CA and AZ would rendezvous for offloading adventures: Mojave Trail, Toroweap, El Camino del Diablo, El Pinacate Biosphere, Picacho del Diablo, Death Valley, numerous other trips to Baja.
These trips were my introduction to offroading and when I reflect on any of them I will always think of Al...he was a character with a dry sense of humor, knowledgable, and always willing to help anybody.
He will be missed by all of us who ever shared a trail and campsite with him...and a couple shots of tequila!
RIP Al.
 
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I never had the pleasure of meeting Al, possibly crossed paths at some point. I'll certainly have a shot of tequila in his memory though!

He sounds similar to my friend Bud Boren who was my mentor in the off road world.
 
Wish we knew about this earlier. Mitch just told me an hour ago.
Such a great man! So many memories with Al as he was there on our first Off-road camping trip back in 2007. Even though Mitch and I weren't drinkers the bar table was always open. He'll sure be missed.

RIP AL
 
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